5 ways Starbucks changed my life

New drinking game: take a shot of espresso every time I write “Starbucks” in this article.

I joined the Starbucks-lover club at the young age of 10, when my cousin babysat me and took me to get my first Double Chocolatey Chip Frappuccino, a.k.a. a piece of heaven. Since then I have graduated to drinking caffeine, which I struggle to have a very complicated love/hate relationship with. But I realized I had a Starbucks problem when I became a Gold Member in the span of a way to short amount of time, and when I had enough ways to list how it has changed my life.

1. There’s no greater friendship than a friendship between two Starbucks lovers

This isn’t like the starCROSSED lovers, Romeo and Juliet. This is the real deal, StarBUCKS lovers. If there’s one thing Starbucks drinkers love more than their favorite Starbucks drink, it’s finding other people that love Starbucks as much as they do. If I had a dollar for every person I’ve had a small-talk conversation with about Starbucks, I’d be rich enough to buy a Starbucks drink everyday. In a crowded room full of strangers you’re guaranteed to find at least one Starbucks drinker to bond with. Although you may find yourself losing friends when you end up on the opposing side in a Starbucks vs. Dunkin Donuts argument, you’ll be ok because you’re fellow Starbucks lovers got your back.

2. I have learned the true value of the dollar.

It’s no secret that a drink from Starbucks can be pretty pricey, range anywhere from $3-$6 (maybe less if you’re really dedicated like I am and Googled ways to save money at Starbucks). If you get a drink everyday, that could be almost $50 a week in coffee drinks you’re too lazy to make at home. And if you go more than once a day, your bank account is probably crying and you have bigger issues to work out.

3. I no longer have to avoid drinking coffee past a certain hour of the night.

Clearly it is evident that I have a Starbucks drinking problem. Though it has gotten to the semi-fortunate, semi-unfortunate point that I can drink caffeine late at night and not have trouble sleeping because it no longer affects my energy levels. I say semi-fortunate because now there’s more hours of the day I can get Starbucks, and semi-unfortunate because it does not help me wake up in the early morning hours.

4. There is a drink for every season, including the holiday season.

Whether I need to be warmed up in the winter or cooled down in the summer, there is always a Starbucks drink to fulfill my body temperature needs. Starbucks also brings back their famous seasonal drinks during the fall and holiday seasons, which automatically makes me love them even more because who doesn’t love the holidays. And no, you can’t lie. I know you secretly drink that mainstream Pumpkin Spice Latte, too.

5. I always have a place to go when I have nothing to do.

Your local Starbucks can become your second home. Whether you go there to meet with friends, get work done or simply sit on the comfy couches, you can pretty much do everything there that you could do in your own home! (that includes making that $6 coffee yourself…)

I'm The Girl Without A 'Friend Group'

For example, I'll be sitting in the lounge with the people on my floor, just talking about how everyone's days went. Someone will turn to someone else and ask something along the lines of, "When are we going to so-and-so's place tonight?" Sometimes it'll even be, "Are you ready to go to so-and-so's place now? Okay, we'll see you later, Taylor!"

It's little things like that, little things that remind me I don't have a "friend group." And it's been like that forever. I don't have the same people to keep me company 24 hours of the day, the same people to do absolutely everything with, and the same people to cling to like glue. I don't have a whole cast of characters to entertain me and care for me and support me. Sometimes, especially when it feels obvious to me, not having a "friend group" makes me feel like a waste of space. If I don't have more friends than I can count, what's the point in trying to make friends at all?

I can tell you that there is a point. As a matter of fact, just because I don't have a close-knit clique doesn't mean I don't have any friends. The friends I have come from all different walks of life, some are from my town back home and some are from across the country. I've known some of my friends for years, and others I've only known for a few months. It doesn't really matter where they come from, though. What matters is that the friends I have all entertain me, care for me, and support me. Just because I'm not in that "friend group" with all of them together doesn't mean that we can't be friends to each other.

Still, I hate avoiding sticking myself in a box, and I'm not afraid to seek out friendships. I've noticed that a lot of the people I see who consider themselves to be in a "friend group" don't really venture outside the pack very often. I've never had a pack to venture outside of, so I don't mind reaching out to new people whenever.

I'm not going to lie, when I hear people talking about all the fun they're going to have with their "friend group" over the weekend, part of me wishes I could be included in something like that. I do sometimes want to have the personality type that allows me to mesh perfectly into a clique. I couldn't tell you what it is about me, but there is some part of me that just happens to function better one-on-one with people.

I hated it all my life up until very recently, and that's because I've finally learned that not having a "friend group" is never going to be the same as not having friends.

A Love Letter To My Air Fryer

In a previous article, I wrote about how love to use Trello.com for organizing things. I'm still loving Trello. I've haven't grown bored of it and stopped using it (like I have with some other organizational systems). This time, I'm going to share another item that I love, and it's for one of my favorite things, food! I finally gave in and bought an air fryer, and after my first use, I literally said that it's wonderful! I bought a small air fryer. It only holds about two quarts, but it's perfect for quick lunches.

I thought I'd love the air fryer if it could dry fry food with little to no oil, and it does just that. I'm also in love with the air fryer, because I could simply put the food in it, set the timer and live my life for a few minutes until the food is done. I don't have to stand over it and watch the food cook. That makes the air fryer a winner! Did I mention that it really does work?! Yes, it does work. Now, you could buy foods that are already breaded and throw them in the air fryer, but if you want to go the healthier route, you can use bread crumbs, flour, and eggs to make your own crispy coatings for your foods. Dipping your food in your own homemade batter cuts out some of the salt and added chemicals in the frozen pre-fried foods.

You can also fry foods that do not even need a homemade batter. Without using the batter, I've made sweet potato French fries and burritos in it. The tortilla for the burrito turned out nicely crispy, but I didn't leave it in the air fryer long enough for it to be crunchy. The sweet potato fries came out nice. I've tried making crispy chickpeas with Italian seasoning, but they weren't to my liking. However, I have loved everything else that I've made in the air fryer. Sometimes I just put a quick meal in it, just to re-heat it, since I don't use a microwave. I just think that using the air fryer is healthier than using microwaves, and I love that I don't need to put my food in a special box or anything for it to be really crispy. If you love fried chicken or fried fish, you'd love this little machine as much as I do!